


His Omega

by Inkvictus



Category: The 100 (TV), The 100 Series - Kass Morgan
Genre: Alpha Bellamy Blake, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Hunters, Angst, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Fluff, Mentions of Rape, Non-Graphic Violence, Omega Clarke, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rape/Non-con Elements, Sexism, Slow Burn Bellamy Blake/Clarke Griffin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-16
Updated: 2019-06-05
Packaged: 2020-01-15 01:19:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18488332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Inkvictus/pseuds/Inkvictus
Summary: “If I give your pack rations, what are we to get in return?” Bellamy asked.“I offer you the best night of your life,” Cage smirked.Alpha Bellamy Blake is offered Omega Clarke for one night.He doesn't know that his life is about to change exponentially.





	1. The Greatest Night of Your Life

**Author's Note:**

> My third fic in this fandom.  
> Sweet baby Jesus, I am obsessed with A/B/O!  
> Well, I'd been itching to work with this plot particularly for a while now.  
> So, here you go! :)
> 
> Disclaimer - I own nothing related to The 100.

“Come on, it’s getting colder now, we need to move fast if we want to get to the next campsite,” Nathan Miller’s voice boomed across the pack.

“Come on, move it!” Indra’s voice joined in.

“At the pace we’re moving, we should reach our destination by nightfall, Alpha,” Emori said looking at the pack Alpha.

“That’s good,” Bellamy Blake replied.

 

Bellamy Blake was the son of an outlawed hunter. When rumors spread across the pack that she’d been whoring around the pack, begging for favors, the pack collectively decided to shun her. The reason? Octavia.

Aurora Blake was an Omega. Life was difficult for her. She’d been raped in her early years of presentation itself. But it wasn’t something she complained about because she couldn’t. Omegas were demanded they be grateful that they were even allowed to live. Bellamy Blake, an Alpha, was the product of one such rape. But Octavia was the product of consensual sex. Irony, wasn’t it? That the product of rape had been accepted but the product of attraction had been cast out. Aurora died giving birth to Octavia. That could happen when a mother is malnourished. Bellamy had tried his very best, well, as best as an eight year old could have done to get his mother as much food as he could. His mother didn’t know but that was the age Bellamy was beginning to learn to carve out weapons. He would carve them, sharpen the existing ones and get some bread, sometimes milk for his pregnant mother. Throughout her pregnancy, she’d tell him, “Your sister, your responsibility.” It was almost like she knew that she wouldn’t make it.

The heavens cried the night Aurora died. Bellamy didn’t. He couldn’t. He couldn’t even think of crying because he was trying to make the crying of the infant in his hands stop. “My sister, my responsibility,” he chanted all night long.

Soon, he started his search, for food, clothing and as he got older for such people, people who were shunned from their packs. Bellamy looked for them and cared enough to listen to their stories, stories of why they were banished. Some he accepted into his pack, some perished when they showed that their true colors. Sometimes they came across Omegas, thin, frail, on the brink of death, begging Bellamy to take their children even if it meant leaving them behind.

Those were the nights Bellamy couldn’t sleep a wink. Reminded of his mother so much that it pained his heart, he’d take the newest member of his pack in his arms and hum to them, putting them in a deep slumber.

Years passed and Bellamy's pack increased in number. He also taught them different things; fighting and making weapons. Octavia, after she presented as a Beta, took over once she was old enough in teaching weapon making. She did it better than him anyway, not that he’d ever admit it to her out loud. Soon, Miller, an Alpha, joined in and showed everyone the tactics behind combat. Emori and her mate John Murphy, a Beta couple, took care of food. Indra, an Omega, took care of guards when their pack was stationary and manned it alongside Miller during battle. Gaia, Indra's daughter and a Beta, took care of their animals; horses.

They weren’t perfect. But they were making it work.

Soon, the other packs had not only heard of Bellamy’s pack but feared them too. They were quite close to outnumbering every pack in the area.

Bellamy couldn’t be more proud of them.

 

“Figure out what he’s good at yet?” Bellamy asked Octavia, tilting his head to gesture to their newest member. Monty, he thinks his name was, an Omega.

Some were busy setting up camp. Some members had brought in the hunt for the night. Some were helping Murphy and Emori in cooking. Everyone took turns and everyone had to work.

“He’s a quiet one. Doesn’t talk much at all,” Octavia said with a sigh. “I wonder what his previous pack put him through,” Octavia stressed.

Bellamy looked at his sister with sad eyes.

He knew she blamed herself for Aurora’s death despite Bellamy telling her otherwise; countless times. It wasn’t her fault that her pack members had cast her out. It was theirs. They were responsible for her death. But Bellamy knew better than taking revenge. He simply took what had happened to her and made sure that no one else was treated such; not under his watch.

“It’s alright. Let’s give him time. He’ll open up eventually,” Bellamy said.

“Alpha! Alpha!” Indra’s voice boomed across from wherever she was.

Bellamy rose to his feet and looked in her direction.

“Cage Wallace’s pack is here. They want to talk to you,” she said panting. Indra was the head of the guards. While Miller was in-charge of teaching them combat, Indra was unbeatable at efficiency at maintaining ground around the pack. The fact that Bellamy’s pack had let an Omega take up such a role was of the reasons his pack had become widely known.

“Alright, then, let’s talk to him,” Bellamy said with determination yet caution.

“Bellamy, I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Miller said.

“I agree with Miller. Bellamy, you must think this through,” Indra advised.

Being one of the oldest in the pack, Bellamy knew she had experience. But tonight, his instincts were telling him to listen to Cage Wallace. He may be a heathen but something about tonight made him want to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Bellamy held his hand up and Miller and Indra knew that there was no changing his mind. He walked in the direction from where he could smell the foreign scent. No one in his pack smelled like that. Octavia was by his side.

“Cage Wallace,” Bellamy said. “What do you want?” he was in no mood to waste his own time.

For a change, Wallace’s pack looked panicked, while he wore a relaxed face.

“We’re in need of rations. We’re almost out of food and we’re low on existing rations. We need your help, Bellamy,” Cage said.

“ _Alpha_ ,” Miller gritted out. “Asking for a favor, the least you could do is talk to our Alpha with respect,” he growled.

“And have you not heard of this thing called hunting? It’s very convenient when you’re hungry and want to feed yourself,” Octavia snapped next to Bellamy.

“We were trying to hunt but couldn’t find any preys, and when we finally did, your pack members hunted them first,” he complained.

Bellamy smirked. “So? We’re hunters and our lives? It’s a game of survival. You should know that by now.”

He was about to turn around when Cage said, “Please, we’re desperate…Alpha.”

Nothing was as satisfying as another Alpha whimpering to an Alpha, and Bellamy especially enjoyed it when it was people like Cage surrendering to him.

He turned back to Cage with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

“If I give your pack rations, what are we to get in return?” he asked.

“Bellamy.”

“Alpha.”

Miller and Indra warned at the same time.

“To your pack, we’ll offer two of our finest horses. And to you” – Cage smirked – “I offer you the best night of your life.”

Bellamy frowned.

Cage’s smirk grew. He held Bellamy’s eye as he stretched his hand back, gesturing for something to be brought out front.

A member from his pack brought ahead someone. Bellamy or none of them could see properly because whoever it was was covered by a blanket and wrapped around cozily, the only part of the body visible were their legs, knees down, creamy white in color, dirty as they were covered in mud. That was enough to make some of Bellamy’s pack members flinch, because this person’s legs were naked. Out in the cold, Cage’s pack hadn’t even been kind enough to cover them in shoes, much less socks.

Anger flared within Bellamy as he could foretell what was about to be said.

“Behold, our _tastiest_ Omega,” Cage said with utmost pride and somehow objectifying the poor person as badly as he could.

He yanked the top of the blanket and uncovered the person’s face.

 _Her_ face.

Bellamy’s breath hitched.

Now, other than her legs, her face was visible for all to see. Like her legs, her face was covered in dirt as well. Her cheeks and forehead had mud distributed on them in varying degrees of thickness. Her chin had a smudge of mud, as if her face was kept against the ground for a significant period of time. Her head was filled with golden strands of hair which were also covered in dirt, a small leaf and a few twigs. Bellamy didn’t think she realized they were there. But he couldn’t see her eyes, for she kept her head bowed.

Bellamy barely suppressed a growl. He heard his sister gasp next to him. He also heard some possessive growls coming from Cage’s pack while his pack stayed silent.

“Bellamy,” Miller spoke from someplace close to him. He couldn’t tell and he didn’t care. He was too enchanted by the Omega in front of him.

“Bellamy,” Miller repeated, “Don’t do this. You’re better than this.”

Bellamy kept his face impassive and his gaze stuck on her.

“I agree,” he said and stretched his arms to welcome the Omega.

Cage’s smirk transformed into a grin and he pushed the Omega into Bellamy’s arms.

Bellamy went forward a few steps to catch her, had he not, he was certain she would’ve fallen. Feeling her weight, he estimated that she was malnourished. It took her a moment to gather her bearings and grab his forearms to balance herself properly. Once she found her strength, she looked up and Bellamy fell. He looked into the blue eyes and knew that he wanted nothing but to drown in them.

He moved his eyes away from her, looked at Cage and repeated, “I agree but I have things to add to your terms.”

Cage’s grin vanished in a second. “What do you mean?” he asked, perturbed.

Bellamy’s voice was loud and clear when he said, “We will give you rations for the night and some more to carry for later, but we want four of your horses instead of two,” he then looked down at the golden haired Omega, missing Cage’s dropped jaw, and said, “We’re also keeping the Omega.”

Cage was close to having a fit of rage. “You can’t do that! I only offered a night with her! And four horses for one day's rations? That’s unfair, Bellamy!”

“It’s Alpha, to you!” Bellamy bellowed. His voice was so loud that the frail Omega in his arms trembled and let out a whimper. His grip on her tightened enough to reassure her but not enough to hurt her.

“I am keeping your Omega and you’re giving us four horses,” he said, his voice sure. “And you have the nerve to yell at me when you can’t even train your hunters properly? We are doing you a favor, remember that. The terms are non-negotiable. Take it or leave it.”

The way Bellamy said those words made the Omega tighten her grip on his hands, causing him to look down at her. She held his eyes, pleading him not to let her go back to him. He squeezed her bicep, or what was left of it, to reassure her.

He looked up again and found Cage contemplating the terms. In a reluctant manner, he said, “Fine. We accept.”

Bellamy straightened his back and gazed at Cage intimidatingly.

“Indra,” he said. Indra was next to him in a second.

“Give these men the rations they need, not any more than what they require for the night,” she nodded and went about to instruct Murphy and Emori.

“Octavia, can you please take four of their finest horses and show them to their stops?” he asked sweetly.

“On it, big brother,” she said and left.

“Gaia? Go help my sister,” he said and watched her jog after Octavia after receiving a nod.

“And you, my dear. Let’s find something cozy for you to wear, yeah?” he said gently to the Omega in his arms and took her to his tent.

 

Bellamy left the Omega in the care of a few female Betas after giving them strict instructions that they were to give her a bath, _gently_ , and then put some comfortable clothes on her, _gently_. And once they were done, they were to get him and go to no one else.

He waited by the bonfire when Indra, Miller and Octavia came and sat down near him.

“Are you sure this is a wise decision, Alpha?” Indra asked.

Cage’s men were given their rations and were sent off. Food was the maximum help Bellamy was willing to lend to Cage and his pack. Shelter, they could find on their own.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“What she means is that you compromised on the rations that our pack spent hours hunting, gave it Cage Wallace’s pack out of all, and for what? A quick fuck with an Omega?” Miller admonished Bellamy.

Indra and Bellamy both growled at Miller’s words.

Miller threw Indra an apologetic look and turned to Bellamy, “Look man, I get that you find her attractive but you can’t jeopardize the well-being of this pack to pursue relations of this nature.”

“You don’t have to worry about it, Miller. I know what I’m doing,” Bellamy said got up and left.

Indra and Miller didn’t follow him but Octavia did.

He stopped at a distance and leant against a tree.

“I saw the way you looked at her, big brother. You like her, don’t you?” she asked.

“I don’t know, O. I just – I looked at her and I just wanted to take care of her,” he shrugged and said with a faraway sad look.

Octavia heard the words that weren’t spoken – _take care of her like I should have taken care of mom_.

She opened her mouth to say something when they heard, “Alpha!”

Both of them turned in the direction of the voice.

“Alpha,” the Beta panted. “She’s ready. We bathed her, cleaned her and put fresh, comfortable clothes on her. She’s in your tent, Alpha.”

Bellamy nodded at her in thanks and headed in the direction of his tent.

His feet stopped right before the entrance.

He was nervous.

He asked, “Are you decent? May I come inside?”

His feet refused to move till he heard a soft _Yes, Alpha_.

He cautiously entered his own tent and saw the Omega sitting on the floor in a kneeled position.

She knew he was in the tent yet refused to meet his eyes. She looked somewhere between his knees and his shin, he couldn’t tell.

“Did you eat?” he asked her, softly.

She looked unsure of whether or not to answer.

He took the hint. “You are allowed to talk in my presence, you know?” he said.

Her gaze flickered higher for a split second before taking their previous place.

She shook her head.

Bellamy sighed and went out.

About ten minutes later he reentered his tent, with two plates in his hands.

Murphy and Emori had cooked rabbits, a few birds and had made soup from the stock of the birds.

He brought more for her than he did for him.

She continued to avoid his gaze.

Bellamy pulled a table close to his bed and placed the plates there. He then stretched his arms in front of the Omega in a silent gesture.

Only then did she raise her eyes and looked at his hand before looking in his eyes.

She took his hand and let him lift her up to her feet.

Bellamy now noticed that she wasn’t as short as she appeared. She was only a few inches shorter than him; easily the same height as Octavia.

She stood there, stoic, as if waiting to be instructed to do something.

Bellamy sighed.

_Boy, this is going to take time._

“Let’s eat, yeah?” Bellamy asked.

She hesitantly nodded before Bellamy pulled on the hand he was already holding to grab her attention. She looked at him in silent question, immediately preparing herself for another possible instruction that might be given to her.

He looked at her and softly asked, “What’s your name?”

The omega looked up at him in surprise, as if even her name had become irrelevant, as if his need to know her name was senseless.

She whispered, “Clarke. My name is Clarke,” and then she bent her head again.

Bellamy smiled, even though she couldn’t see it.

“Well, Clarke, I hope you like rabbits and soup,” he joked.

They ate in silence. Clarke started to eat her food hesitantly, as though she was waiting for Bellamy to take her plate away and tell her that she’s had enough for one night. That’s what Cage used to do; on the days he fed her. But then, she looked up and saw that Bellamy was pleased that she was eating and nodded at her encouragingly. She dropped all semblance of thought after that and ate to her heart’s content.

Bellamy was torn. Half of him wanted to murder Cage for treating Clarke the way he probably had; something tells him that future revelations would only strengthen that sentiment; and the other half wanted to coo at the way Clarke was devouring her meal. She was hesitant at first but when he gave her a smile and an encouraging nod, she dug right in. Almost as if she was looking for permission or approval.

_Fucking Cage._

After they were done with their meal, Bellamy took her hands and washed them on her plate. He then took the plates and left them outside before coming back to his tent. Clarke was still sitting at the edge of the bed. She was fiddling with the loose strings of the nightshirt she was wearing. She looked nervous.

“Clarke, is everything alright?” Bellamy asked.

Clarke glanced up at him before moving her eyes sideways downwards. She bucked up the courage to look back up at him again and asked in a whisper, “Are you going to fuck me now?”

Bellamy gritted his teeth and barely suppressed a growl.

He went in front of her and knelt down. She held his eyes. Bellamy thought that this was the longest they’d maintained eye contact.

“No, Clarke,” he said, “I’m not going to touch you tonight. Or tomorrow night. Or the night after that. I’m not going to touch you till you ask me to,” Bellamy said softly, reassuring her.

Clarke’s lips barely twitched and Bellamy was satisfied.

“Get some sleep,” he said as he moved to take off the vest over his shirt.

Clarke looked confused as to where she was supposed to do that so Bellamy spoke again.

“You can take the bed. I’ll sleep on the floor.”

Clarke looked scandalized, the idea of the pack Alpha offering to sleep on the floor. She opened her mouth in protest when Bellamy spoke again.

“Clarke, it’s fine. I want you to.”

Clarke relaxed at that.

_She really needs permission for everything, doesn’t she?_

Bellamy got rid of all the extra garments until he was left in only his shirt which was untucked and his pants. He turned to look at Clarke but she had already fallen asleep, softly snoring.

Bellamy had a gentle smile with which he situated himself on the floor, sighing heavily; promising himself one thing.

_I will protect you with everything I have, Clarke._

_I promise._

He then fell into a dreamless sleep.


	2. A Strange Alpha

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Backdrop of Clarke's life followed by the events of the first chapter from Clarke's PoV.  
> Shit gets dark, but only mentioned. Nothing too graphic.

Clarke hated her life. She wasn’t filled with hatred for life itself, but, nevertheless, she hated her life.

It hadn’t always been like this.

There was a time when she was happy. Her parents, Abby and Jake had been so happy they’d had a girl. She was raised with nothing but love and affection. But then biology happened to her.

At fourteen, she presented as an Omega.

Her mother was horrified and her father was scared for his daughter’s life.

He’d sat her down one day and told her, “Clarke, you’re an Omega. You know what that means?”

“No,” came her childlike reply. She was fourteen. She knew nothing.

“Well, the way mom and I are Beta and Alpha, you’re an Omega, Clarke,” he said with a smile, not wanting her to feel the pain he was in; not wanting her to feel the pain he knew was inevitable in his daughter’s life.  

“Does that mean that I’ll grow up to be strong, just like you, Daddy?” Clarke asked, looking up at him with a toothy smile, holding a raggedy, dirty, nearly torn doll they’d found for her closer to her chest.

Jake’s eyes hardened. “No,” he said firmly. “Sweetie, listen to me very carefully and remember this for the rest of your life. Your gender does not decide whether or not you’re strong. _You_ decide how strong you want to be. _You_ decide who gets to hurt you and who doesn’t, you hear me?” he asked cupping her cheeks, desperation clear in his eyes.

“Yes, Daddy,” Clarke whispered.

Jake pulled Clarke into a fierce hug. His fear for his daughter’s safety was so great that he went to any lengths necessary to keep her safe.

Her presentation as an Omega meant that her heat was going to begin soon. He’d have to come up with something more concrete later, but for now, he asked Abby to stay with Clarke while Clarke cried and screamed in pain. Her back, her joints, her whole body hurt as if a thousand heated needles were being forced into her. Her mother kept making her drink water that Jake would fill at the stream and kept feeding whatever hunt they would have for the night. Abby would have to watch as her daughter would try to hump the cloth covered ground, sometimes scraping her inner thighs if the rocks tore through the cloth.

Abby cried in Jake’s arms every night for a week once Clarke’s heat passed.

“We never wanted our baby to be in pain, and now no matter what we do, what we sacrifice, she’s always going to be in pain, Jake,” she cried.

Jake only held her tightly, offering all the comfort he possibly could.

 _No. I won’t give up._ He thought. 

He dug up a large pit in the ground, threw some of his and Abby’s clothes in it, and would make Clarke go in there during her heats. He’d found a large sheet a while back which he used to cover up the whole pit save a little space, leaving way for ventilation. He would then place horse’s dung and urine on the sheet to throw off anyone who passed by the pit, leaving Clarke’s heat scent go unnoticed.

Watching Jake work his blood and sweat got Abby to help out as well. She worked day in and day out to find all the necessary herbs she could find to make concoctions, tonic, anything that could put her daughter at ease. Her aim was to make two tonics: one that could help her during heats to ease the pain; the same could also prevent the heat altogether if taken beforehand; and the second one to abort an unwanted pregnancy.

The contraceptive tonic didn’t take as long as the heat tonic to make. But Abby still needed to test it.

She didn’t know any other Omega for the next few miles. They were a stranded family, making it on their own and they were comfortable like that. She couldn’t test it on animals because there was no way to tell if it would work on Clarke after testing it on an animal. She had no choice. She had to test the first one on Clarke.

The contraceptive tonic also required to be tested, but it _could not_ be tested on Clarke. So, Abby tested it on herself. She’d talked about it with Jake. They’d only wanted one child anyway. Be he’d agreed to help the one daughter they had. He kept on trying to get Abby pregnant again and when it finally worked, he was there, holding her hand tightly as she drank the concoction.

Abby had to be sure that it would work because this wasn’t exactly something she could do multiple times; get pregnant just to kill the fetus. Jake had asked her the same thing; whether or not she was sure it would work. She’d told him that she was _pretty sure_ the concoction would work but needed to be sure before actually trying it with Clarke. She also promised Jake that if the tonic didn’t work, they’d find another alternative to test it out and not try it on her own damn self.

It worked. It hurt Abby and Jake like hell, but it worked. It was full-proof; an experiment which had a concrete result. Jake and Abby had laughed before they cried. The sacrifices parents made for their children are uncountable, indeed.

Jake had been wanting to teach Clarke how to fight, but kept delaying it, wanting her to be a child for as long as possible. He resented that decision the day Clarke was taken. That day, tears became permanent members of their family.

Jake had gone out to hunt and Abby was at the nearby stream to fill up the water.

Clarke wasn’t in heat but a nearby pack had gotten the whiff of an Omega nearby. They’d approached her while keeping themselves hidden, like a predator hunting its prey. Once they attacked, there had been a struggle, Clarke had tried to scream at the top of her lungs but because the current was to strong, Abby couldn’t hear her over the sound of harshly flowing water and Jake was way too far to have been able to hear her.

Clarke was able to hit a man with a stone on the head repeatedly, rendering him unconscious. But the other two were enough to grab her and drag her away. They were going to send in more men to bring back their unconscious companion, but when they did come back, there was nothing there.

Jake and Abby had screamed at the skies when they returned to find their daughter missing. Abby had arrived before Jake had. She saw all the signs of struggles; a chipped tooth, some blood, some torn pieces of clothes and the most obvious evidence of all, the unconscious man. She made a smoke signal for Jake, calling for him before things went out of hand. Jake arrived, panting with two rabbits hanging off his shoulder fifteen minutes later.

He didn’t need to ask her. What had happened was obvious. He only looked as Abby and asked with a stone face, “Clarke?”

She only shook her head as her bottom lip quivered.

Jake’s Alpha senses kicked in because someone had taken away his child. But even he knew how to hone them. He knew that getting angry wasn’t going to be productive to their situation. So, he ordered Abby to clear the place of any evidence of their stay; making them move a few kilometers away in a darker clearing. They didn’t settle there, though. They only chose the place so that they could question the unconscious man they’d brought with them.

They knew that they could’ve stayed; an easy assumption, really, that the men from the man’s pack would come in search of him. But Jake didn’t want to risk it. It could’ve been an unfair encounter after all. One man, one woman against God knows how many people.

Jake wasn’t interested in the personal life story of the man; he didn’t even care about his name. All he asked him was who his pack Alpha was and where they took Clarke.

They found out that he belonged to Dante Wallace’s pack. But the latter, the man didn’t know the answer to. He told them that they were moving that night and that he had no clue as to which way they were heading.

Jake and Abby debated what they should do with the man, kill him or set him free; when they decided that they go with the latter. If they set him free, they could figure it out whether or not he was lying. They set him free and tailed him to find that he was indeed telling the truth. He had no idea where his pack was, because they saw him beg another pack to let him in, only to be killed, and with that their last hope, gone.

Jake and Abby knew better than to approach other packs and ask for information on Wallace. They knew that they couldn’t risk their lives if they wanted to save Clarke’s. But all efforts to look for her were futile. It was only the two of them and there was so much land to over to even begin looking for Wallace’s pack.

In another place, Dante Wallace’s voice boomed, “She’s only a child!” when he saw what the young Alphas of the pack had proudly brought back. He ordered they take the girl back and leave her there when the men who’d gone to retrieve their companion came back informing that the place had been left; no one was there. Dante only ran a hand over his face in frustration. “Whatever happens, we do not kidnap Omegas for our pleasure, is that understood?” his words flew through the pack like arrows in wind. Several Beta and Omega members around him whimpered while the Alphas bowed their heads in submission.

It was Cage’s voice when he said, “I like her,” in a whisper next to him that convinced Dante to keep Clarke.

Of course, after learning that she was only fourteen, even helping her out during heats was out of question. The pack healer, a Beta woman, was good but not as good as Abby.

The first night that she lay with Cage, she didn’t know that she was allowed to say no; because everyone in the pack would only tell her _when an Alpha wants something, you give it to him_.

God she missed her parents. No one heard her cries at night and if they did, they ignored her.

After a while is when her nightmare of a life started with the death of Dante Wallace. With Dante gone, Cage was the only strong Alpha in the pack and he became their pack leader. He abused Clarke every night and even allowed other men to have at it. Since it was their pack leader doing it, every member turned their backs on Clarke despite knowing that what was happening was far from right.

The pack healer had nothing for heats but she had brewed a tea that acted as contraception. To other Omegas of the pack, that tea was a choice to drink only on some occasions. To Clarke, it had become a staple part of her daily diet.

Soon, Clarke became numb. She didn’t feel anger or resentment. She neither laughed nor cried. She didn’t speak to anyone but the pack healer. Every woman in the pack looked at her with either pity or relief that it was her and not them in her place. Every man that was unmated in the pack looked at her as if she was the last meal on earth. At the beginning, Clarke as perturbed by eyes always following her, now it pricked at her but she’d learned to ignore it.

It only got worse after that. As Cage grew in power, the more he oppressed Clarke. He stopped calling her by her name and called her whore, slut or a fucktoy. He conditioned her that she couldn’t do anything without his permission. If she did, there would be consequences.

Years passed and that became Clarke’s life. Apart from the unmated men in the pack, Clarke was sure she’d slept with every man in Cage’s pack. In fact, a time came when Cage used her to get rations and shelter from other packs as well. The men would always look at Clarke as if they could eat her alive and they would; if not her, at least her integrity. She doubted she had any left.

Some people would enjoy their time with her and some didn’t. Clarke wouldn’t do anything. She would just lie there and take it. Some people were rough with her, tossing her around like an _actual_ fucktoy, some were gentle with her to prolong their pleasure, and some pretended she was their dead beloved. Through all such people, Clarke would simply take it.

She became a monotonous, robotic person after that; waiting to be given instructions before doing anything.

_Anything._

_Everything._

Which is why she was surprised to her bones when she heard the plea in Cage’s voice, “Please, we’re desperate…Alpha.”

Who was he talking to who could make Cage beg? Did she know him? Had he bedded her?

Before she could figure it out, someone grabbed her arm and pushed her next to Cage while he was busy talking to another pack’s Alpha whose name she didn’t know.

_It doesn’t matter. As if you’ll be using his name in bed._

_Either call me Alpha, or don’t talk at all_ , Cage had told her the first time he took her to bed.

She was cloaked from his view and she kept her head bowed in submission.

She only dropped her shoulders further when she heard Cage, “Our tastiest Omega,” he’d called her.

She couldn’t even bring herself to be proud that she was the best in their pack. Who could care when they had to endure the treatment that came along with being the best?

Her feet were cold, but she was used to it by now. They were always cold. She was about to rub them against each other for some warmth when Cage yanked at the cloak that was covering her head. She hoped her dirty face wouldn’t make the Alpha change his mind. The pack was really low on rations and Cage allowed her to eat only when he felt like she _deserved_ it, when she’d earned it.

She heard a voice, next to Alpha’s which had said, “Bellamy, don’t do this. You’re better than this.” Safe to say, his words had surprised her.

_No, they usually weren’t._

The first time she heard his voice was when he said, “I agree.”

_See?_

Yet, she couldn’t explain it, but something about that voice calmed something in her; something she thought was long gone; dead.

Then she was pushed towards the Alpha. She was half expecting to fall face first on the ground. But someone grabbed her arms; grip tight enough to make sure she didn’t fall, but not as tight as she’d been used to being held. She looked up and was entranced at once. She was met with a long face, curly, unruly hair falling on the Alpha’s face, freckles that she could spot only because of the proximity between them, his chapped lips, the scar right above his upper lip and finally, his eyes; those brown orbs that had nothing but kindness, growth and a touch of softness in them. She also sensed that she was looking at him in the same way that he was looking at her.

His gaze shifted from hers but she kept her eyes at him. A part of her was screaming at her to look down.

_You’re supposed to submit!_

_Look down!_

_He’s an Alpha!_

But in that moment, a dormant part of her told the Omega in her to fuck off. She wanted to gaze at this beautiful man for the longest while.

She was pulled from her trance when the Alpha said, “We’re also keeping the Omega.”

That scared Clarke. She’d only ever been a part of Cage’s pack. She knew that the treatment she’d received couldn’t get any worse. But the obvious fear of someone who’d never been cares for by anyone but her parents caused her to go into panic. She schooled her features and reminded herself that it was an Alpha in front of her and that they could do anything they wanted.

Not to mention, she may have enjoyed the way Cage flinched when Alpha screamed, “It’s Alpha, to you!”

Hell, his scream was so loud that even the Omega in her instantly submitted, whimpering and trembling in his arms. He reassured her, tightening his grip on her, and in that moment, she felt inexplicably safe.

Alpha made their terms clear and Cage let her go to their pack.

Somehow, Clarke wasn’t surprised. A person who could sell her dignity for one night’s food could also sell her for good.

But she was surprised when Alpha looked at her with nothing but tenderness and offered her more comfortable clothes.

It weirdly warmed her heart when she saw Alpha give directions to some Beta women who threw her kind glances and soft, small smiles which was enough to give her some form of reassurance. For what, she didn’t know. But still, it felt nice.

She felt things for the first time in a long time. But her face had been trained to be a certain way, because of which she couldn’t even bring herself to smile back at the women who were taking such good care of her.

They bathed her in warm water and soap; the existence of which Clarke had forgotten.

“Bellamy is a nice man,” one of the Betas said with a soft reassuring smile while they lathered her with soap. Clarke froze. She remembered why they were going through the trouble of cleaning her thus. She wasn’t being taken care of. She was being cleaned probably because the Alpha wouldn’t want to lay with anyone who was as dirty as she had been.

She remained impassive and the ladies did their job. Two women gently pulled her out of the water and the others dragged the dirty water to throw it outside.

They dabbed at the skin of her body, treating her form in the most fragile manner. Then, they proceeded to lather her skin in some rosewater, something she knew was scarce.

“You don’t have a scent on you,” one of the women said.

Clarke only shook her head. Because she’d felt the need to protect herself so much, her scent glands only permeated scent when she was feeling something extremely strongly; something that hadn’t happened in a long time. Cage had made her hate the Omega in her and the damage had been done. She didn’t think there was anyone who could undo it.  

After dressing her in a soft nightshirt, the women left her to fetch the Alpha.

She got in her standard position; kneeling on the floor, hands on her knees with her head bowed down.

She glanced up at the fall of the tent from where his voice came, “Are you decent? May I come inside?”

_Why would you care if I’m decent? You’ll be taking my clothes off later, anyway. And asking for my permission before coming in? He is a strange man._

“Yes, Alpha,” she said softly.

She moved her gaze to look at his legs. He stood right in front of her and she could feel the pull; the urge to look at his face, into his eyes again, but she resisted. So, she stuck her eyes at his legs.

“Did you eat?” Alpha asked, his voice, soft.

She wasn’t sure what to answer. Given her history, answering to this question with a lie (yes) meant punishment, and telling the truth (no) meant that she was kept hungry deliberately. Cage did that to her, just because he could.

“You are allowed to talk in my presence, you know?” he said.

She glanced at him for a split second before returning her gaze to its previous position. She shook her head.

Alpha left her at that.

_Oh, great. You displeased him as well._

She could hear Cage’s voice in her head whenever he was disappointed in her: _Such a disgrace. Filthy Omega. Is this what your parents teach you? They didn’t teach you to be good to your Alpha?_

Clarke suppressed all these emotions and stayed in her position. Even after Alphas express annoyance or displeasure, they usually returned to her to take what they wanted. However, she was surprised when Alpha returned with two plates filled with food.

Alpha stretched his hand in permission to take hers. She was peculiar but accepted, nonetheless. His hand felt rough, calloused against hers, his large hand encompassing her small one.

She was about to ask him what she was to do – feed him with her own hands, sit there and watch him eat, or have food sex, but surprisingly he offered they both eat. She moved an inch when he pulled on her hand, to grab her attention. She turned to him and was surprised yet again when he asked her for her name.

She couldn’t remember the last time someone called her by her given name. Everyone called her by derogatory names that she was used to or only gesture at her. In fact, she was sure that had she spent a few more years in that pack, she would’ve forgotten her name.

“Clarke. My name is Clarke,” she whispered; the first time to inform him, but repeating to reacquaint her tongue with her name. It had so long since she’d called herself by her name. She looked down feeling ashamed of herself, feeling like she let herself down.

But she could hear the joy in Alpha’s voice when he said, “Well, Clarke, I hope you like rabbits and soup.”

Clarke felt a soft shock of electricity pass through her when he called her by her name, still, she kept her face impassive.

She saw that one of the plates had more food than the other. She was taken aback, almost cried when the Alpha gave her the fuller plate. But then, the thought hit her that maybe all of it wasn’t for her. Maybe, he wanted her to finish only some of it and give the remaining to the other Omegas of the pack. Another thing Cage would do.

She chewed on the meat slowly, glancing up to meet his eyes when she saw him nod at her encouragingly. She let go of all self-consciousness and ate her full meal for the first time since Dante Wallace’s death.

After they were done, the Alpha took her hands and washed them _for her_ on her plate. He then proceeded to wash his own hands on his pates and left the tent, probably to drop the plates.

_This Alpha is full of surprises._

But then she remembered that her purpose had still yet to be served. She was nervous. When she kneeled in front of Alphas, she knew that she was to await instructions. But she was seated on his bed, all of a sudden feeling intimately closer to Alpha than she was comfortable being. She began fiddling with the loose strings of the nightshirt. She kept on fiddling with them even as Alpha asked her if everything was alright.

“Are you going to fuck me now?” she whispered, her brain reminded of the variety of names she had. _Whore. Slut. Fucktoy. Tasty Omega._

She held her breath when she saw Alpha kneel in front of her. _An Alpha was kneeling in front of her, an Omega._

She’d been trying all night to not make eye contact with him but in that moment, she couldn’t look away. His answer caused her breath to hitch. He told her that he wouldn’t touch her, not till she wants him to.

The Omega in her wanted to submit to him and ask him to touch her then and there, a darker part of her snidely voiced _That day will never come_ and the smallest part of her, the part that felt most like herself was content having finally found someone who respects her wishes.

It was that part that caused her lips to twitch ever so slightly.

“Get some sleep,” he said. She was confused as to where she was to sleep; in his tent, or out in the cold, or someplace else.

“You can take the bed. I’ll sleep on the floor.”

What. The. Fuck.

Alphas _do not_ sleep on the floor. She was appalled at the thought that it wasn’t even _an_ Alpha but the _pack_ Alpha who was offering up his bed to her. Just when she opened her mouth in protest, he said, “Clarke, it’s fine. I want you to.”

She wanted to wait for Alpha to finish undressing and get cozy but her exhaustion; both of the day and of her life in general caught up to her.

She fell asleep as soon as her head hit the bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There you have it! :)  
> Let me know what you think in the comments. :)
> 
> PS - I doubt it'll get darker than this, cuz, Bellamy's here! *throws confetti*
> 
> PPS - Minor information about myself, I'm technologically stunted. In other words, I don't have a Twitter account or a Tumblr account. I simply enjoy writing because therapy is too expensive. So, if you have any prompts, put them in the comments and I'll see what I can do. Cheers! :)


	3. The Power in a Name

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The journey continues, quite literally.

Bellamy woke up early the next morning. As the pack Alpha, he had to. Indra, Miller, Murphy, Gaia, Octavia and he always woke up before waking up the rest of them to talk strategies. The aimed distance for the day, the quantity of rations, the direction they were going to head in, and the people who would take the responsibility of guard, cooking, laundry and combat training were all discussed in these meetings.

Bellamy stretched himself to his body’s full potential before curling himself back. When the previous night’s events flooded his brain, he woke up instantly, head turning in the direction of his bed, eager to see the beautiful new Omega who had taken refuge amongst them. Bellamy was surprised to see the bed not only empty but cleanly made. 

Panic flooded his chest as he feared that the young Omega must’ve run away. 

_Is she safe?_

_How can she not know that there is more danger to her out there than in here?_

He got up and went to the bed to feel the mattress. It was warm but cooling down fast. 

_She must be around._

He quickly put his boots on and without even fixing his clothes ran out to see what if could pick up which way she left. What he was expecting was seeing a scared Omega probably stealing some food before she ran. It was quite common. Omegas didn’t feel completely comfortable in new packs despite having ill-treated in their previous one. They took time to trust.

But Bellamy was surprised to see the golden haired Omega off in the distance, helping Emori and Murphy load their rations on the back of a horse.

“Good morning, big brother,” his sister’s voice came in from behind him.

He turned around to look at her quizzically. He was met with a small, soft smile on her face.

“What’s going on? How did you get her to work?” he asked, excitedly wondering how Octavia got the shy and quiet Omega who seemed to require permission for everything, to help out doing chores. He tucked his shirt into his pants while he spoke.

“Well, when I woke up, I saw her standing at the edge of the pack,” Octavia said seriously. “I thought that she was going to run, but when I went closer to her, she jumped in surprise and quickly bowed her head down. When I told her that I wasn’t an Alpha, she said that it didn’t matter since I’m the Alpha’s brother,” she said with a hard look on her face. “I told her not to bow to me even so which surprised her. I changed the subject when I asked her why she was up so early and she said that it was a habit for her. Apparently, Cage and his minions didn’t even let the poor soul sleep the entire night, so much so that after a while she just took to the habit of waking up early,” Octavia sighed.

“She looked fidgety and I could tell that she wanted to do something so I took her Murphy and Emori and asked her to help them out in loading the rations. But listen to this,” Octavia said grabbing Bellamy’s arm, “Even after I gave her the order to work with them, she bowed in front of both of them and asked if it was okay if she helped,” Octavia said, a sad look on her face. 

“She’s in a shell, Bellamy,” she said. “And it’ll take time before she trusts any one of us before she feels completely comfortable to do whatever she wants; to truly believe that no one in this pack is going to ask her to submit to them.”

Bellamy had a hard look on his face. He hadn’t expected anything different. He knew better than most Alphas how difficult life of Omegas can be. He’d seen in first-hand. But still, knowing the trepidation of a gender and actually confronting the circumstances are two very different existential experiences. It’s like mint. Everyone knows it’s bitter. But only after tasting it does one know exactly how bitter it is. And each time he learned of a story from any Omega’s life in his pack was like chewing slowly on a mint leaf. Clarke seemed to have had the worst of it, though. And yet somehow, she was the lucky one. Most Omegas did have a similar life as Clarke’s. But most Omegas weren’t lucky enough to stake claim over their lives; their lives faded away like sand in someone’s grasp. Other Omegas had perished, but Clarke had survived. Bellamy wanted to show her just that. He wanted to take the pain she’d felt and help her turn it into strength.

“You’re right, O,” he said not looking at Octavia but ahead, at Clarke. “She’s in a shell, and it’s our responsibility to bring her out of it. Since she told you so much already, I’m going to assume that she’s comfortable around you probably because you’re a woman and a Beta. She doesn’t think you’re going to ask for a fuck or ask her to submit. Keep talking to her; nothing too severe or deep, small talk. Ask her what she’s interested in and give her work accordingly. Maybe doing something instead of someone might help her connect with herself,” Bellamy said thoughtfully.

“Okay, yeah, that makes sense,” Octavia said after a brief thought, nodding in agreement.

She smiled at him and went off in the trio’s direction.

Bellamy woke Miller, Indra and Gaia up and called the rest for a meeting. Clarke was still busy loading up the horses but Bellamy didn’t want her to take the whole weight herself.

“Clarke,” he called her. Her eyes snapped to him, surprised at the use of her name.

Truth be told, it was weird to have to hear her name out loud from anybody’s mouth these days. After hearing the names that Cage had given her, she was closing in on forgetting her name for good. She didn’t even remember her parents’ names or her last name. She didn’t know anything from her life before Cage. The memories he’d instilled in her brain, enough to take up the whole space, leaving little for anything else.

“Why don’t you go and freshen up?” he asked. He called a Beta woman and asked her to take Clarke to the place where they’d stored some water in a bucket. He sent her off with a smile.

Clarke still thought that Alpha was weird. He smiled at her a lot, made sure she ate, gave up his bed for her and _did not_ touch her. What a strange Alpha.

“Come on, dearie, it’s this way,” the Beta woman smiled at her.

As Clarke washed up, she saw that the woman was still standing by her, keeping watch but her back turned to give Clarke the privacy she wanted.

Clarke cleared her throat to indicate that she was done.

The woman turned around and smiled at her.

“If you don’t mind me asking, my dear, how old are you?”

“Twenty-one,” Clarke whispered.

The Beta nodded and passed on a cloth for Clarke to wipe herself with.

They made their way back to camp to see the meeting coming to an end and the members dispersing.

Bellamy and Octavia made their way towards Clarke. Octavia told the Beta woman to go and wake the rest of the people up, and the woman went on her way.

She then saw that Bellamy’s gaze was stuck on Clarke and Clarke’s had her head bowed, respecting the presence of the Alpha.

She looked at Bellamy and said, “I’ll give you a minute.”

She then turned to Clarke and said, “Afterwards, come find me. I have something instructions to give to you.”

Octavia realized that Clarke couldn’t be given the complete scotch-free freedom all at once. It had to be a gradual process. And while there were things that didn’t need permissions of anyone, there were other things that followed decorum. She understood that.

Clarke moved her eyes at her and nodded solemnly and both her and Bellamy watched as Octavia walked away to wake the people up.

“You look well,” Bellamy said looking back at Clarke.

Clarke snapped her gaze up at Bellamy and said abashedly, “Thank you, Alpha.”

Bellamy was perturbed at being called Alpha in closed quarters. He knew that his pack members called him Alpha in the presence of foreign packs to establish that he, indeed, was the pack Alpha, but when it was just him and his pack, who he looked at as family, he preferred being called Bellamy. While he led them, the word Alpha meant nothing to him in the stereotypical sense. He wanted to protect his people. But he didn’t want to bask in the glorious pedestal of being _the Alpha_.

But Bellamy let it slide, this once. “Did you sleep well?” he asked.

“Yes, Alpha,” Clarke whispered.

He kept his eyes on her fixed, while Clarke squirmed under his gaze.

All Alphas looked at Clarke like she was a walking piece of meat. But Bellamy looked at her curiously, like he was trying to figure her out. That somehow made her feel more vulnerable because when she didn’t know her own demons, she wasn’t sure she was comfortable Alpha knowing them either.

Bellamy straightened up and nodded at Clarke when she met his gaze. “You should go look for Octavia. She’ll tell you what you need to do.”

“Yes, Alpha,” Clarke said and eagerly walked away.

Bellamy sighed and murmured to himself, “Bellamy, not Alpha.”

 

“You asked me to come,” Clarke said innocently looking at Octavia with her big blue eyes.

“Yeah,” Octavia said from where she was seated on the ground, playing with blades of grass. She got up and dusted her pants off. “We’re resuming our journey today. And you’ll probably need a horse, I reckon?” she asked Clarke.

A horse? What? Cage always made her walk. In his pack, only the Alphas rode the horses, and the guards. If there were some idle horses, they were ridden by the Betas but even they had to take turns at riding them. Omegas weren’t even allowed to touch the horses. Only those Omegas rode the horses that were mated to Alphas.

“A horse?” she asked out loud. “Forgive me, but aren’t the horses ridden by the Alphas only?” Clarke asked, hoping she wasn’t overstepping by questioning their methods.

“No,” Octavia laughed. “Everyone works in this pack. So, all those who hunted, cooked, cleaned and kept guard last night will be taking a horse today. Those who are to do those chores today will be walking. The only exception to this rule is Bellamy, Indra, and I. Miller prefers walking, says he trusts his feet more than anything else, he rides only to let some steam off or during a tiff with another pack. Gaia is the child of nature,” she said laughing, “She walks because she enjoys these kinds of trips and Murphy and Emori take turns since they share a horse,” Octavia told Clarke.

Clarke looked at Octavia, confused, “But I didn’t do any chores last night. And I’m fully rested. Alpha was kind enough to give his bed to me, even though he shouldn’t have. Omegas sleep on the floor, not Alphas,” Clarke said. “I don’t need a horse.”

Octavia considered her for a moment. “Alright, if that’s what you wish, then you may walk. But if you feel tired, just tell us. We’ll make sure that you’re taken care of, Clarke,” Octavia said with a smile. She turned around to walk away when she stopped, turned back and said, “By the way, my name is Octavia. Don’t be afraid to use it,” she winked and walked away.

Clarke had a small smile on her face.

She had made a friend. 

 

They began their journey after a half an hour. Bellamy’s pack did work collectively; Clarke observed. The work was divided according to skill set and not according to gender. They were efficient for a pack as large as theirs. They worked around each other without disrupting the other’s work. Everyone seemed kind and flashed smiles at her face. Clarke sometimes thought that she was in a pleasant dream that she would wake up from soon.

She was walking in the middle of the pack, and looked ahead to see if Alpha was there. She only saw Indra and Octavia riding their respective horses.

“He’s at the back,” a quiet voice came from next to her.

A slim eyed, fair boy with dark hair spoke. “The Alpha always rides at the back,” he said.

Clarke looked at him wide-eyed and turned around.

Sure, enough, Bellamy was at the back of the pack, eyes intently keeping watch. Clarke felt something warm spread through her chest.

Cage always rode in the front; his desire to _appear_ Alpha overtaking his responsibilities of being one.

She turned around and saw the boy look at the Alpha named Miller.

 _Maybe Miller is his Alpha._ She thought.

“Is he your Alpha?” she asked in a small voice.

His head jerked to the side in a snap, “No! I don’t have an Alpha. I’m new, like you.”

“Oh,” she said.

“My name’s Monty,” he offered with a small smile.

She smiled back. “Clarke.” The feel of her name on her tongue felt weirdly enabling to her; as if speaking it meant reconnecting with some lost part of her, as if she was bringing back to life something she thought was dead. It empowered her.

They continued walking in silence.

After a few moments, he spoke again, “He isn’t my Alpha,” he took a breath. “I just like his scent a little. Makes me feel comfortable,” he said in a hushed tone, as if he was embarrassed that an Alpha interested him in any way.

Clarke gave one long nod and walked by his side, quietly. She knew what Monty was talking about. Despite the fact that she wasn’t comfortable enough to let Bellamy anywhere near her, she liked his scent. He smelled like wet earth and freshly cut grass. It was a comfortable scent. Something inside of her calmed down when his scent was around. But she wasn’t ready to share that information with anybody, yet.

After walking for four hours, they took a halt. “Alright everyone, listen up!” Octavia’s voice boomed across. “As discussed, rations to be first distributed to the ones hunting today so that they can leave as soon as possible to bring in the hunt for the night. All those cooking, register all the ingredients and materials we already have to cook with. Guards, make and man your posts now. No laundry today!”

Clarke thought it was an efficient way to distribute work, when a thought hit her.

Octavia and Gaia were taking the horses to tie them all up on one side when Clarke approached them.

She cleared her throat to get Octavia’s attention. It worked.

Octavia smirked, “Clarke, I’ve told you that you can use my name. It’s kind of the purpose of having a name, so that somebody can identify you as such,” she said laughing a little, shaking her head fondly.

“Well, I was wondering about something, if you don’t mind me asking?” Clarke started slowly thinking that what we was about to say might earn her a severe punishment; something along the lines of no food or water for three days.

Octavia fully turned to her to give her undivided attention. “Go on; what is it?” she asked.

“I was just wondering, who is the healer in this pack?” Clarke asked, half preparing herself to be told off, called names and asked to straight up fuck off.

Octavia surprised her, though. “Well, we don’t have a designated healer. We know how to stow away from the common problems like wounds and such, Murphy and Emori found some plants that can be used when someone catches a fever but that’s all. We don’t have a healer. Why? Would you like to be one?” Octavia asked with a smile on her face.

Clarke was confused between almost laughing and gaping at Octavia as if she’d lost her mind. Her? Healer? Could she do it? She doubted it. When she wasn’t with any unmated Alpha from the pack, she was with the pack healer, and sure, she’d seen her work her way around plants and herbs. She didn’t know the names of said herbs per se, but she could recognize them visually. However, the question remained: could she do it?

Octavia sensed her turmoil and asked, “If you don’t want to do it, you don’t have to.”

“No!” Clarke surprised herself with the tenacity with which she answered. “I mean, I am interested, but my knowledge is bare minimum. I don’t have any knowledge of herbs and shrubs as such,” she said sheepishly; embarrassed that the one thing she likes doing also can’t be done because of her lack of knowledge. Her deep-seated insecurities were just coming up when Octavia spoke again.

“Oh! Is that all? Don’t you worry about that at all,” she said putting a comforting hand on Clarke’s shoulder.

“Emori loves wandering around when we stop for a halt to look for anything new she and Murphy can use for cooking. We don’t grow our own spices, you know? Emori usually is the one to scout the places to look for such stuff and sometimes she’s happened on certain plants that have tasted like shit but helped several of our pack members in getting better from a cold. So you could go with her the next time she goes, yeah?” Octavia smiled.

“I’d like that…Octavia,” Clarke said shyly.

Octavia grinned at finally being called by her name. She patted Clarke lightly on the shoulder and walked away.

Clarke was internally freaking out for calling the Alpha’s sister by her name, but in all honesty, it felt good. Calling someone by their name felt good. Clarke may have lived a majority of her life with her parents but she lived a really dark reality with Cage and his pack. The memories they forged on her brain forced her to believe that she was inferior to everyone else.

Bellamy’s pack was different. The people in this pack were nice; they shared responsibility and carried the burden of taking care of each other together. And they did it so well, that it didn’t even feel like a burden. But most importantly, they insisted on being called by their given names. Or at least, Octavia did.

That’s the thing about names, she realized. They can be used to put someone down, the way Cage had or bring someone up, the way her father had. She had faint memories of him but remembered him as nothing but patient and kind towards her; her mom, too. But Bellamy’s pack was different. They used names; given names to call each other. But what they didn’t realize was that in doing so they were equalizing everyone, freeing them of their own inhibitions, big or small. Clarke saw this because she’d been on the darker side of things. They didn’t see that by calling everyone by names, they were looking at someone despite whatever crime or charity they’d done in life, washing one away from their doings or misdoings, bringing everyone to a common platform.

Clarke smiled a little and went to see where Emori was.

 

Octavia couldn’t stop grinning. Bellamy was happy to see his sister be happy but curiosity got the best of him.

“What’s gotten you so happy?” he asked with a smile of his own.

“Well, big brother, this may come as a surprise to you, but…Clarke,” she said, grinning again, purposefully torturing her brother, withholding information to increase the suspense for him.  

Bellamy frowned slightly but maintained a slight smile. “What do you mean, O?”

“I mean, she told me, indirectly that she’s interested in becoming a healer. But that’s not even what’s making me so happy,” she said.

“Bell, she called me Octavia,” she looked at him with hope in her eyes.

Bellamy’s eyes brightened at that and he got a faraway look; as if he was imagining her voice calling his name.

“Hello?” Octavia teased him, snapping her fingers in front of his face. “Don’t worry, she’ll call you by your name soon, too, Bellamy,” she said emphasizing on his name before walking away.

Bellamy groaned. He did not need to hear Clarke say his name in her lovely voice, not yet anyway. His first priority was to get her and the newbie out of their shells. While there were Omegas in the pack who hadn’t exactly had had as an unfortunate lives as Clarke, it naturally took them time to confide in someone and for someone to earn their trust.

But first, Bellamy wanted to sort things out with the hunting parties of the day and then he’d go check on Clarke.

With a smile, he went to go talk to the pack members.

 

Clarke was having a good time, genuinely. Emori was kind with a bit of a quirk which was refreshing to Clarke. She helped her figure a bit of the woods out and helped her identify some of the shrubs, plants and herbs. Clarke was sure that it was the best day she’d had in a long time. But that wasn’t all. Because she’d been treated so nicely by Emori and she’d genuinely had a good time with her, something inside of her was itching to share it with someone. She debated whether to go to Octavia or Monty.

Going to Octavia could mean disturbing her. After all, she wasn’t just anybody, she had responsibilities and she did her job well of taking them seriously. She thought about going to Monty but she didn’t want him to think that she was bragging when he hadn’t really opened up to anyone but her. She was torn.

She was deep in thought when she heard a young man’s voice, “The sack carrying the ration tore, Bellamy. Don’t worry, the rations are alright, no damage came to them, Murphy and Emori spotted the tear before the sack tore completely, but we still need to fix it.”

“Oh, that’s alright, give it to me, I’ll sew it up,” Bellamy’s voice came.

Clarke’s eyebrows rose really high on her face.

_Alpha works?_

_He helps his pack?_

_All Cage ever did was order people around and wait for them to serve him. If they took too long, he’d punish them._

She slowly walked towards the place from where she’d heard their voices and found Bellamy on the ground, legs spread wide enough to make a V, the sack placed between them. He had a thick needle in one hand while the other was mapping the tear. His brows were furrowed in concentration while the tip of his tongue was peeking at the corner of his mouth.

She couldn’t tear her eyes from him as she moved closer. A twig breaking under her feet grabbed his attention and he looked up at her.

He grinned immediately.

She felt a little warm inside and was able to summon a smile to her face.

“Hello, Clarke,” he said, eyes crinkling at the corners as he smiled. “How can I help you?” he asked, his voice sounding childlike and jolly. Clarke took it to mean that he really enjoyed sewing.

“You sew,” she said dumbly, still somewhat surprised that this Alpha in front of her actually did things for his pack.

“Yes,” Bellamy said, “My mother was a seamstress for the pack that she belonged to. She hadn’t really taught me how to do it, but I’d seen her enough times to have the movements memorized. In fact, it wasn’t something I did even growing up, I only started after this pack was finely formed, and I was _not_ good. But I practiced. I learnt and now, well, ta-da!” he said, grinning, holding up the previously torn sack. It was sewn shut and the sewing looked thick enough to ensure it wouldn’t tear again. At least, not the same spot.

Bellamy looked proud of his work. Clarke couldn’t help but smile at him.

“That’s very kind of you to help your people, Alpha,” she said tentatively.

“Well, they wouldn’t be _my_ people if I didn’t help them, now, would they?” he said with a mischievous smile. “I’m not just their Alpha, Clarke, I’m their friend and they’re my family. Which is why they know that they can call me Bellamy,” he said with a knowing smile and walked away.

Clarke kept looking at his retreating figure with wonder.

Calling the Alpha by his name without permission usually resulted in being whipped or tied to a pole, naked, for a night.

But Clarke didn’t need any more convincing on the matter that Bellamy was not like any other Alpha. He was different.

She looked down, a soft smile on her face and she whispered slowly, savoring the syllables, “Bellamy.”

She liked his name on her lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There you have it! 
> 
> How would you like for Clarke to become the healer or would you rather she do something else?  
> Should Bellamy be patient and wait for Clarke to warm up to him or should he hover and make his presence persistent enough to make him grow on Clarke? 
> 
> Let me know what you think in the comments. :)


	4. Hardships are Hard to Get Through

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke has a breakdown.   
> Someone arrives.

In a sentence, if one asked Clarke to describe her life at the time without being grotesque about it, it would probably be this – she was drowning. Her life after being taken from her parents was like a person who knew nothing about swimming facing the savage seas, when she unleashed her waves to their fullest capacities.

And Clarke didn’t know how to swim; which is why when one would ask as to _how_ she survived, she had no answer; because she herself didn’t know just how she did it. She’d had a difficult life, true. But it was also the life she’d always known. She was trained to be a dutiful Omega to an Alpha, submit to him or her and provide pups to continue the hierarchy, or at least, try to.

Cage’s pack was like that. The umated Alphas spent their time drinking alcohol and eating, they also shouldered the task of training the rest in combat and hunting for animals but never participated in the real thing; that was the Betas’ job. Betas were the ones to toil in his pack. Hunting, cooking and their own laundry was the Betas’ responsibilities. The Omegas didn’t have any major work, per se. But they weren’t treated equally, either. Apart from the obvious service of sex to the Alphas, Omegas had to stay hungry if there weren’t any leftovers; their daily intake of food happened only after the Alphas and Betas fed themselves. No leftovers, no food. The only chore they had was to launder the Alphas’ clothes. Laundry was a luxury, one Cage had established to be _unnecessary_ for Omega scum. There may have been a whisper in Clarke’s ear from Cage saying _Besides; I like it when you smell like my cum. Wouldn’t want that to go away, now, would we?_

It wasn’t a big deal. Clarke was used to hearing these things. The things he said while he fucked her were way worse. So, when the side comments; in a relatively modest circumstances, touched her ears, she simply bowed her head and said _Yes, Alpha_. Always.

But the treatment she got in Bellamy’s pack was not only different from Cage’s, she reckoned. It was exclusive only to their pack; because equal treatment of Omegas in any pack was unheard of. Sure, their treatment in different packs weren’t always as bad as Cage’s, some even treated Omegas in a humane way, but still, treating them on the basis of everything but their gender was something Clarke had never seen.

After her first night with the pack, Bellamy wouldn’t have minded if she slept in his tent again. But, Octavia had offered on her second night with the pack, and she couldn’t help but say yes. She wouldn’t have said no to Bellamy either, but a part of her knew that the Alpha would insist that he sleep on the floor. Her conscience wouldn’t allow her to let him do that for her again.

Their pack was large, as it is. And since they hadn’t settled yet, they’d collectively decided that the number of tents were to remain limited so as to minimize luggage. Tents were shared by five people sometimes. Bellamy and Octavia were the only ones who didn’t share their tents while they slept in it.

Bellamy, because he was the pack Alpha, and Octavia because Bellamy was the pack Alpha.

Duh, it was common sense to know that Bellamy would growl and probably bite a person’s head off if they tried to force their way into Octavia’s tent. She often told him that sharing didn’t bother her, but he’d always refuse. However, even their tents became available on the nights they kept watch. Bellamy’s tent was relatively larger than everyone else’s; at least fifteen people could sleep comfortably, eighteen if they adjusted slightly.

Clarke’s coming to the pack and Octavia’s offer to her to sleep in her tent had put Bellamy at ease; because now, Clarke apparently had found a friend in Octavia while Octavia didn’t have to stay with the guilt of not being able to help anybody, even if the matter was of merely resting. Octavia had offered the other side of the pile of furs she’d decided to call her bed to Clarke but Clarke had politely declined, saying she was comfortable on the floor.

But Clarke was shivering. She was sleeping on the floor in Octavia’s tent. She was shivering tremendously, her teeth were chattering in her sleep. She wrapped the fur that Octavia had given to her from the pile to cover herself tighter with it, curling into it, when she realized, she wasn’t shivering from the cold, she was shivering from fear.

Truth be told, Clarke was still adjusting to the life that Bellamy’s pack had offered to her. What they didn’t realize was that while in the morning, she had chores alongside Emori, Monty and Octavia, at the end of the day, she was left alone with her thoughts.

Clarke jolted awake; the way one does right after that particular dream where they have the feeling of falling from a flight of stairs. Her breathing was ragged. She touched her body, just to ground herself. She then touched her forehead. Despite the cold outside the tent, a bit of moisture had collected on her forehead and when she turned, she realized on her back as well. She closed her eyes, trying to find an anchor to help her stay calm. With her parents, they were her anchor, and with Cage, she never really knew.

But being treated well with her parents was like living in a well. The walls of the well became the rest of the world for her. She had no idea about the actual world. Cage had helped clear that out for her. He’d taught her what an Omega like her was required to do in life; and she did it. But now, with Bellamy, it was as if she’d lost her footing in the beginning. But as time progressed, she began to realize that being with them wasn’t like losing a footing, it was like learning to walk all over again.

Seeing as she couldn’t fall back asleep, Clarke got up, taking the fur with her. She left the tent barefoot, leaving the shoes that Gaia had given to her behind, a force of habit. She walked; she didn’t know where she was going, but kept walking nevertheless. Once she saw that she was no longer surrounded by tents, she stopped and turned around. She could see the tents at a distance so she decided to see which way she was going, to make her way back later. She found a clearing and went on that path. She remembered Emori had taken her there earlier that day to see some shrubs. She walked a little father and noticed a small lake, illuminated by the moonlight in the sky.

Werewolves and moonlight didn’t necessarily go hand in hand. Moonlight brought out the beast from within in werewolves but it didn’t seem to affect Bellamy’s pack.

For her, moonlight was always calming, it was safety.

Moonlight caused something animalistic to come out in Alphas and being with Omegas during that time could even mean procreating. Cage loved abusing the unmated Omegas in the pack, especially Clarke, but even he knew that their pack already had enough people, it didn’t need more. So, Alphas made sure to stay away from Omegas for three days. Those three days were bliss to Clarke. A full moon saved Clarke in ways no one else in the pack was willing to.

So, Clarke sought comfort under the moonlight. She felt nice under the warmth of the fur covering her whole body save some spaces; and she felt pleasant shivers from the cool breeze that hit the exposed ones.

After a while, she started crying.    

She pulled her hands from the cozy confines of the fur and put her head in them. She sobbed mercilessly. She let herself cry to her heart’s extent. She kept sobbing between hashed breaths, trying to calm down. She grasped her neck lightly as her throat began to tighten from within. In very little time, her eyes were swollen, her nose felt watery and her lips were dry from trying to breathe from the mouth.

She rubbed her eyes, trying to clear her field of vision, when she saw a stretched arm holding a white cloth between the fingers. She looked up to see the kind face of the Alpha.

He gestured to the handkerchief in his hands, motioning her to accept it.

She took it from his hands and blew her nose into it. Goddamn, that opened her lungs up.

“Couldn’t sleep?” Bellamy asked softly.

Clarke only looked at him, before moving her gaze back down and shook her head.

Bellamy held the urge to sigh loudly. He recalled earlier that day when he told Clarke about his mother being a seamstress without a second thought.

Bellamy didn’t talk about his past much. He could talk to Octavia but she was still filled with the guilt of being the reason that their mother didn’t make it. He couldn’t seek comfort with Octavia. The rest of the pack knew the story behind Bellamy’s behavior, but none of them knew the details of his life before. In fact, he wasn’t even sure anybody save Octavia knew that Aurora was a seamstress. And Bellamy didn’t regret telling Clarke. Talking to Clarke had brought a smile on her face and she seemed to appreciate his work. So, he was content.

But he also understood. He understood that for Clarke, talking about her life wasn’t easy. It was a miracle this girl was even alive; breathing in and out daily and putting one foot in front of the other to get through the day. But he also knew that if Clarke wanted to feel like herself again, she had to confide in someone.

“How was your day?” Bellamy tried.

Once again, Clarke looked at him, somehow managed to bring a small smile on her face and nodded at him.

He moved his eyes from her to the lake and tried to think of something to say to move her thoughts from whatever it was she was thinking about. Clearly, that was what was making her cry. And Bellamy didn’t like seeing her cry one bit.

“Wow, this is the second time I’ve been at this lake,” he started with a smile. Clarke raised her head to listen to him speak.

“I was six the last time I was here. I’d woken up in the middle of the night and it was hot. But there was a cool breeze coming from only one direction. So I walked that way. And I kept walking till I saw a speck of the lake. I really loved this place. I never really thought I’d find my way back here,” he reminisced.

Clarke looked at him calculatingly; like she was looking at him but thinking of something else.

“What woke you up?” she asked.

Bellamy froze slightly but Clarke remained oblivious to it.

“Uh – I heard something and I woke up,” he answered.

Clarke had realized a while back that some of the people in the pack were trying to get her to open up and most of the times, she humored them.

But not tonight.

Before she could grasp what she was asking, the words flew out of her mouth.

“Something or someone?”

Bellamy’s gaze snapped to hers and for a moment she thought that Bellamy might slap her right across the face. That’s what Cage would’ve done.

But Bellamy looked at her and then looked away. He sighed and said, “Yeah, my mother.”

Sporting a frown on his face he picked pebbles and threw them aimlessly, refusing to look at her.

“My mum was…with someone that night. It woke me up. And I wanted to get away from camp to get away from that noise. I didn’t want to hear any of it,” he said.

“I slept out here that night, you know?” he continued. “I couldn’t go back knowing that I’d ask her to stop and she still wouldn’t. She did what she did to feed me, I know that, but I wish she could’ve found another way,” he said clenching his jaw. “If only the Alphas in her pack had treated her nicely, maybe things would’ve been different. But since they didn’t, she could’ve tried to find a different way, walked a different path.”

Clarke bit her lip, sporting a frown of her own. At that moment, she wasn’t sitting next to the Alpha. She was sitting with just somebody.

She kept her eyes ahead, a hard look on her face and said, “It’s not easy.”

“Everyone thinks that moving on or being given a new life is easy, and it probably is for them. Because to them, they’re offering the person a clean slate. A fresh start. A new beginning. But they don’t know what they’ve been through. Nothing can ever be a fresh start for those people. They have to walk the earth and live their lives the way it was given to them by Alphas or Betas. They know what they went through and how they feel about it. Maybe your mother was forced to do things she didn’t want to, I know I was. But soon, that was the only life I knew. And it might make me sound demented, but I miss it,” she said choking on a sob.

“I miss it, because that was my life and it was bad but it was all I knew. I know it probably doesn’t even make sense, but it’s the truth.”

Bellamy felt a wave of anguish wash over him. He’d heard many sob stories from a number of Omegas, but never had he ever heard something like this. Knowing that someone was tortured and raped in a pack and yet hearing them admit that they miss it was something Bellamy had never heard.

Clarke broke down crying and Bellamy shifted in his seat. He desperately wanted to comfort her but didn’t know how well it would be received, so he hesitantly moved closer to her and tried to wrap an arm around her.

The moment Clarke felt an arm around her shoulder, she left all her inhibitions, turned and collapsed against Bellamy’s chest.

Bellamy quickly wrapped both his arms around her tightly, as if the tightness could maybe smother her problems and make them vanish. He never wanted to see her like this. Watching this beautiful person cry so violently in his arms kicked his Alpha instincts in place. The moonlight had a very mild effect on him and his pack members since they’d learn to harness the art of control quite nicely over the years. But still in that moment, he knew that in that moment, he’d do anything to protect her.

Clarke stayed in Bellamy’s arms like that for a while. He heard her loud cries reduce to soft sobs and later to just heavy breathing. He tried to look at her without moving too much and saw that she had fallen asleep in his arms.

His mind went to debating whether he should deposit her back in Octavia’s tent or should he carry her to his own. While he knew that morally, doing the former was the right thing to do, he also knew that he wouldn’t be able to sleep a wink if he stayed away from Clarke, at least not tonight.

He found a middle ground, carried Clarke to Octavia’s room and placed her on the bed next to her.

He went to check on the people who were keeping guard and informed them that his tent was empty if anyone wanted to take it when they rotated shifts. He went to his tent to pick up two furs and went to Octavia’s tent.

Octavia was a soft sleeper. So, having cried for a long time had made Clarke’s breathing incredibly obvious in the silence that floated around in the tent.

Bellamy positioned himself on the floor and fell asleep listening to Clarke’s loud, yet even breathing.

 

The next morning, Emori woke up early to go look for some more shrubs and spices in the area to revitalize their rations. She thought of going to look for Clarke but figured that she was still asleep. And Lord, if she knew that Clarke needed to sleep.

She strapped her boots, sitting on a log when she heard a voice from behind her, “Are you headed to look for more shrubs?”

She turned around and found the newbie standing there, wiping his face, having only freshened up. Clarke said his name was Monty.

“Uh – Yeah. We still have some time before we hit the road again and I think I saw some tamarind and mint trees around here,” she said.

She saw Monty rocking on his feet, biting his lip as if he was considering asking her for something when she cleared her throat and asked him instead.

“Monty – It is Monty, right?” she asked and continued after a nod, “Monty, would you like to accompany me?”

Monty fiddled with his fingers and asked shyly, “Would that be alright?”

“Of course, it’d be alright!” a voice startled Monty. He turned around and went pink when he saw Miller walking towards them in a tall posture with all his regal. He quickly averted his eyes and heard him speak again.

“You are free to do what you want, as long as you lend a hand. And Emori would love your company, wouldn’t you?” he asked Emori. Monty saw Emori nod at him with a smile. He looked at Miller then and said, “Okay, I’ll go.”

Miller flashed a toothy smile at Monty, winked at him and walked away to freshen up, missing a pink Monty turning into a red Monty.

Emori watched with amusement and cleared her throat. “Shall we?”

 

Clarke woke up to a soft fur covering her and a soft pile of furs underneath her. She furrowed her brows and saw that she was in Octavia’s bed. She jolted upright and saw Octavia getting dressed.

“Good morning to you too,” Octavia wished with a smirk.

“I-I-I am so sorry, Octavia. I have no idea how I got here,” Clarke told her earnestly.

“I know. Bellamy brought you here. And it’s okay, I offered you sleep next to me last night also. Seriously, it’s no big deal,” she said and left the tent.

Clarke recalled the previous night’s events and her eyes widened. She couldn’t believe she had talked to Alpha so rudely. She was appalled with herself till she saw her surroundings again. If Alpha had brought her back to Octavia’s tent and had placed her comfortably on the bed, then maybe he wasn’t upset with her. She could only hope.

She quickly left the bed and went to the exit to go freshen up when she saw two furs by the foot of the bed on the floor.

She instantly recognized them from the Alpha’s tent. She quickly went, freshened up and came back. She picked the furs up and went to his tent to put them back.

She was filled with such restlessness that she entered his tent without announcing herself.

“Alpha, I,” she said and stopped in her tracks when she saw Bellamy’s naked back to her. He had pants on but from the looks of it, his fly was undone. She could see water droplets trailing down the gorgeous brown skin of the Alpha.

Bellamy didn’t hear anyone. His head was filled with the thoughts of Clarke. However, he did feel eyes on him and he turned around biting his lower lip. He jaw dropped when he saw who it was.

Clarke felt her already racing heart race faster when Bellamy turned around. She could see similar water trails on the front but this time they were more delicious, more arousing. She watched as some of the droplets trailed down his toned abs and into his navel, while the others trailed further down his torso, taking the path that was covered from her view. She gulped audibly.

“Clarke, how can I –

“Bellamy,” she said in a half sigh and half a moan.

Both their eyes widened at the name said out loud but Clarke looked like her eyes were about to pop out of her socket. She threw the furs on the bed, mumbled some gibberish and turned to bolt when she felt his hand grip her wrist.

Bellamy pulled her lightly but calling him by his name had turned her into putty to such an extent that with a little pull, she crashed into his naked chest, her hands coming up to grab his biceps. He softly wound his other hand around her waist and waited till she looked up at him.

When she refused to, he leaned down, pressing his face next to hers, and whispered in her ear, “Clarke, I never want you to think you can’t say my name; and I never want you to think that you have to be afraid of me.”

Clarke looked up into Bellamy’s brown eyes and nodded slowly in understanding.

He smiled at her when she remembered what she wanted to say to him.

“Last night,” she started, agitated in his arms, “I’m sorry for what I said. I didn’t know – I wasn’t thinking,” she stopped when Bellamy raised his hand to her.

He cupped her cheek delicately and said, “Don’t worry about it. It’s alright. I understand.”

When Clarke relaxed in his arms and looked at him again, he couldn’t help but close the gap and press a light kiss on her forehead.

He pulled away to see Clarke’s eyes closed and lay another kiss on one of her eyelids.

Before she could open her eyes, he whispered again, “Don’t ever be afraid, Clarke. Be brave.”

He said that and he let go. Clarke’s breathing was ragged and when she opened her eyes, Bellamy was gone.

 

Soon, the pack resumed their journey. As always, Octavia and Indra rode in the front, Miller kept guard in the middle, and Bellamy rode in the back, overseeing everything.

They kept riding till the sun was directly overhead when one of the pack members screamed.

“Hey! Stop that guy! He was trying to steal rations!”

Miller pursued him and Indra jumped from her horse to accompany him. Catching the man wasn’t that difficult, having stayed hungry had made him slightly weak. He was covered in a cloak and it was in that form that they brought him in front of Bellamy.

Miller pulled his cloak to show his face. He was a man with tan skin and he was covered in dirt.

Bellamy was reminded of the night he first saw Clarke. He sighed through his frown and asked the man, “Who are you?”

The man looked up at him and then looked around at everyone. He dragged his gaze back at Bellamy and spoke.

“Lincoln. My name is Lincoln.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There you have it!
> 
> What do you think is Lincoln's role going to be?   
> What would you like it to be?
> 
> Let me know in the comments. :)


	5. Just When Things Were Getting Better...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lincoln's arrival causes some things to be rethought.  
> Clarke can't stop thinking about Bellamy, and vice versa.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check the change in tags before proceeding.  
> Trigger warning: Contains non-graphic rape scene.

“Alright, everyone. You know the drill,” Octavia said addressing the pack.

At once, everyone began moving to fulfill their daily duties.

Octavia moved to work as well, but her eyes kept going to the place where her brother was interrogating the person who’d stolen from them; or at least, tried to. Octavia was mildly impressed that the person had made it through their pack without detection till the actual conviction; which meant that he stole some clothes as well. She wondered what his story was.

 

Bellamy glowered at Lincoln while Miller and Indra took turns yelling at him. Lincoln kept an impassive; almost bored face while listening but kept his eyes on Bellamy. He remained silent.

Miller huffed in frustration.

“You dared to steal from us and have nothing to say?” he asked Lincoln.

“I stole because I was hungry. I haven’t had anything to eat in two days,” Lincoln said, still looking only at Bellamy.

“You could’ve hunted. Or you could’ve asked nicely,” Indra grumbled. “Our pack works hard to get the food you tried to steal.”

“I apologize. But like I said, I was hungry,” Lincoln said in a calm voice.

“You don’t fear the consequences of your crime?” Miller asked.

“You’re going to kill me anyway. I don’t see the point in explaining myself,” Lincoln snapped, finally moving his gaze to match Miller’s.

“Why were you stealing the food?” Bellamy asked.

Lincoln huffed, “You can ask that question as many times as you want and the answer is not going to change; I told you, I was hungry!”

“Couldn’t you have hunted?” Bellamy asked soothingly. He noticed that the man was unarmed even when he was captured.

Lincoln closed his eyes in frustration; almost as if he was ashamed of himself. He opened his eyes and met Bellamy’s.

“Someone stole my weapons a few days ago. And I’m not a hunter. At least, not a trained one,” he said, his voice becoming quieter.

“Well, what are you then?” Indra asked.

“Whose pack did you belong to? Why did they cast you out?” Miller pitched in.

Lincoln sighed.

“An Alpha woman came onto me,” he said looking dead into the eyes of the other three. “She came onto me and I refused. The next morning, she accused me in front of the whole pack that I tried to rape her, so they kicked me out,” he finished, his tone so tired as if he was narrating the story from a piece of paper.

“And, I’m not a hunter. I’m a tracker,” Lincoln said looking at Indra.

Bellamy sighed. “Get him some clothes.” Looking at Lincoln, he saw that underneath the cloak that hid him from everybody’s view when he was caught, he was wearing a shirt and pants but they were worn out and were nearing permanent damage. “Get him something to eat and we’ll discuss what to do next,” he said to Miller and Indra.

Lincoln looked dumbstruck. He couldn’t believe that he was being allowed to live. He thought that he’d definitely be killed for stealing. And even if he was allowed to walk away, it would probably have been without a hand or something.

“What does this mean?” he asked out loud.

“It means that Bellamy saved your life. Now, you get to prove whether you deserve it,” Miller said and left after Indra.

Lincoln looked at Bellamy like he was still expecting someone to jump in front of him out of nowhere and slice his throat. Bellamy made a move to leave before he stopped. He turned to Lincoln and asked, “One more thing, what’s your gender?”

Lincoln swallowed, “Beta.”

Bellamy nodded once and walked away.

 

Clarke sat with Murphy, who was preparing to make their dinner, and Monty, who was segregating the newly found spices. Clarke was tearing part coriander leaves. She couldn’t take her eyes off the direction she saw Bellamy, Miller, Indra and the new person move towards.

This was the first mishap to have happened since she joined their pack. She heard the exchange when it had happened during their travel. The new person, Lincoln his name, if she remembered correctly, had stolen some rations.

Clarke swallowed audibly, trying to gauge the reaction this would’ve wound from Cage.

She thought back to the time she’d spent a night with one of the better Alphas in his pack. He had been rough in fucking her but he’d taken care of her later on. And in the morning, he’d offered her a shawl to her, not as a token of courtship, but one of appreciation. Clarke’s eyes had almost popped out of her sockets at the gesture but she had accepted at his insistence nonetheless. A while later, an Alpha woman thought it was completely okay to take it from her because she thought that “it looked better on humans than scum anyway” and had posed the whole debacle as an act of theft. For the alleged crime, Clarke was made to walk on burning wood and whipped ten times on her back, naked. She was also made to walk barefoot despite of them being burnt.

She shook out of the memory and saw Bellamy come out of his tent, where the meeting was going on. She expected some men to walk in there and bring Lincoln’s body out but was surprised to see the man himself walk out of the tent. The surprise couldn’t be kept away from her eyes.

“Bellamy doesn’t punish anyone unless he has a solid reason to do so,” Murphy’s voice filled the silence.

Clarke’s head whipped towards him. Murphy was stirring some tomatoes they’d found in a pot. He was cooking tomato and coriander stew. He and Clarke didn’t really talk; both in a mutual agreement, acknowledgement and acceptance of each other but not indulging in any verbal exchanges.

“He’s going to give the new boy a chance and if he proves him wrong, _then_ he’d regret it,” Murphy said.

Clarke swallowed again, “That wasn’t how people were treated in Cage’s pack.”

“Yeah, my last pack wasn’t this nice either,” Monty said.

“Don’t worry, Bellamy isn’t like that. He gives chances to people in abundance. But screw him over once, and he’ll rain hell down on them,” Murphy said.

“Yeah, our Alpha’s awesome,” a young man spoke. “Hey, I’m Jasper. Bellamy adopted me a few months ago,” he stretched an arm towards Monty while the other held a canteen. “Want some?” he asked stretching the canteen at all three of them. “It’s tea, but I’m trying to be more creative and make something with a bit of a…kick in it.”

“Don’t drink the tea,” Murphy winked at Clarke and got up walking away to get some more things.

Clarke smiled slightly and thought about the things she’d heard about Bellamy from others. Her hands worked on their own as her eyes drifted to the Alpha occupying her thoughts. She looked at him with wonder and her thoughts went back to the night by the lake and then the morning after when he’d kissed her forehead. His gentleness was something of a spectacle and it still surprised her that someone who was an Alpha could also have so many different sides to him. He was protective of his pack, loving towards his sister, he did work and chores just like any other pack member and yet, everyone looked to him for instructions, for direction, for leadership. He was their home.

She was deep in thought looking at Bellamy, when his gaze rose to meet hers. He smiled at her and blinked slowly once in comfort at her, then he walked away and Clarke went back to work.  

 

“Bellamy, we need to talk to you,” Indra said.

Bellamy looked up from tally of their rations and nodded at Emori, indicating that they’d resume later. He walked towards his tent with Indra and Gaia following him. “What is it?” he asked once they were inside.

“I’ll get right to it. We need to settle, Alpha,” Gaia said, her voice determined but a shiver still detectable in it.

“What?” Bellamy asked.

“After setting up camp today, we redid a head count, Bellamy. We’re up to sixty three people. It’s difficult to manage traveling, cooking, hunting and doing the laundry all at once,” Indra said.

“Also, we’re not only feeding the people but also the horses, that isn’t easy,” Gaia added.

“It’s time to settle down. It’ll make so many things easy,” Indra finished.

“And how do you suggest we do that?” Bellamy asked mockingly.

“Lincoln,” Indra said confidently. “He’s a tracker. Clearly, he’d know the land better than the lot of us. We can get him to help us, maybe even train some of our people,” she suggested.

Bellamy went into thought; he considered it and told the two that he’d think about it. Truth was that Bellamy couldn’t focus on a lot. He wasn’t completely useless, but his thoughts were occupied these days by a blonde Omega. Her scent had engulfed him that morning and he found himself yearning for more. He wanted nothing but to pull her close just so that he could soak it all up.

But he couldn’t do that.

Because she needed to heal, and he had responsibilities.

Bellamy quickly gathered the pack and asked them collectively what they thought about settling down, and all of them hooted, giving him an instant answer.

It was time to settle down.

 

Clarke had heard the announcement loud and clear. They had decided to settle. She was washing her face when she thought about it, and truth be told, she was excited to settle, having walked barefoot for such a long time, she allowed herself the luxury of being selfish for a fraction of a second.

She rose and shook her wrists twice to flick the water off her hands and turned only to collide with a solid chest. She looked up and saw one of the pack members; one she had never spoken to. She wasn’t exactly social, but this person, she almost doesn’t remember seeing him save their journeys. “I’m sorry, I’ll be out of your way,” she said and moved to the side only to have him block her way this time.

She looked up at him and saw the feral glint in his eyes.

“I’ve been trying to get you alone since I saw you that night. But that bastard Bellamy or his bitch of a sister or someone else is always with you,” the man said raising his hand and brushing her cheek with the back of his fingers.

Clarke froze. It had been a while since someone had spoken to her this way, now. She remained frozen, her body working the way the person in front of her, an Alpha, wanted it to.

His fingers slowly moved to the back of her neck and jerked her forward. It came back front to her shoulder and pushed her down to her knees. Clarke gulped. She knew what was about to happen. She knew and didn’t know what to do.

He kept his hand on her shoulder for a while before pulling it to undo his pants. He exposed himself and stroked himself twice looking at her wildly.

“Suck,” he ordered.

Clarke, who was always accustomed to obeying an Alpha, dutily opened her mouth to allow him inside. She had her hands on her knees, only working him with her mouth. His groans and complements filled her ears.

 _So warm around my cock_.

 _Such a good girl for me_.  

She saw him close his eyes in ecstasy and closed her own in misery.

She wanted it to stop.

 

Bellamy was tired after the day they’d had. The sleeplessness he’d had the previous night, the early morning chores, the journey and the work that followed after all had taken their toll on him. In fact, since Clarke’s arrival, this was the first time he hadn’t spent some time with her. He rubbed his neck in an effort to soothe the tension in his muscles and was walking to wash his face when he heard it.

He heard someone moan.

Bellamy wasn’t stupid. Obviously, there were couples within the pack, and even if there weren’t, people were always willing to lend a hand to those who needed it. Knowing that didn’t mean Bellamy liked to watch. Which is why, he was about to change the course of his direction, when his eye caught bright golden hair, the only thing visible in the darkness. He stopped and tried to get a closer look.

What he saw left his blood boiling. Clarke was on her knees pleasuring someone else.

 _Someone who isn’t you._ Bellamy’s mind mocked him.

Bellamy hadn’t kept any such expectations form Clarke that she do such things for him. He never did. She’d been through enough and he was patient to wait for her to heal before courting her. It was no surprise to him that he found himself caring for her more than anyone else in the pack, but the effect Clarke had on him was unmatchable; at least for someone he met _so_ recently.

However, what angered him even more was what he heard.

“Yeah, just like that, suck it like a good little slut. Cage taught you well to submit to an Alpha.”

He recognized that voice.

He was ready to murder the man.

 

“Fuck yeah,” he moaned as she continued pleasing him with her mouth, hoping for something to stop him.

 “Dax!” she heard Bellamy’s angry voice behind them and her eyes flew open.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There you have it! 
> 
> What did you think? Always keen to read your feedback! :)
> 
> Let me know in the comments.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoy it! :)


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